An Egyptian court has jailed 21 men for three years each for practising homosexuality in a retrial after their original sentences were quashed on presidential orders.

The men were arrested in May 2001 at a Cairo nightclub known for being popular with gays, and found guilty in a special security court in November the same year.

However President Hosni Mubarak ordered a retrial after the original sentences handed down to the men led to heavy criticism by global human rights activists.

The new sentences are longer than those originally imposed, however the men are currently free on bail and, unlike at their previous trial, they can appeal against their sentences.

A further 29 men were acquitted at the retrial.

A representative of the US-based Human Rights Watch, Scott Long, told Reuters news agency the sentences were "appalling" and "based on flimsy evidence".

Taboo subject

Mr Mubarak had ordered a retrial to be held in an ordinary criminal court, saying the charges against the men were not serious enough to warrant a state security trial.

Human rights organisations had also put pressure on Egypt to review the original sentences, heavily criticising the government and arguing that the men were on trial for their sexual orientation and for exercising freedom of speech.

Homosexuality is taboo but not illegal in Egypt, and prosecutions are brought under morality laws.

Western gay rights campaigners and human rights groups have long protested against the treatment of gays in Egypt.

However the Egyptian Government has rejected the criticism, saying its courts are fair and Western societies should not attempt to impose their values on Egypt.